The Prodigal Daughter

Kane & Abel #2

by Jeffrey Archer

HER FUTURE IS AMBITION.
With a will of steel, Polish immigrant Florentyna Rosnovski is indeed Abel’s daughter. She shares with her father a love of America, his ideals, and his dream for the future. But she wants more: to be the first female president.
HIS FUTURE IS WEALTH.
Golden boy Richard Kane was born into a life of luxury. The scion of a banking magnate he is successful, handsome, and determined to carve his own path in the world―with the woman he loves.
BUT THEIR PAST HOLDS A SECRET…
With Florentyna’s ultimate goal only a heartbeat away, both are about to discover the shattering price of power as a titanic battle of betrayal and deception reaches out from the past―a blood feud between two generations that threatens to destroy everything Florentyna and Richard have fought to achieve.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Drama, Novels, Mystery, Historical

485 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Jeffrey is published in 114 countries and more than 47 languages, with more than 750,000 5* reviews with international sales passing 275 million copies.

He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (nineteen times), short stories (four times) and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries).

Jeffrey has been married for 53 years to Dame Mary Archer DBE. They have two sons, William and James, three grandsons and two granddaughters, and divide their time between homes in London, Cambridge and Mallorca.

Reviews

[peachygirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not as great as the first book, but a decent read.
Some parts of the past seemed pointless. It could have been easily more concise without the repetitions from Kane and Abel. Also, the last 100 pages got pretty boring with too many irrelevant details.
Another major disappointment was Richard not being alive to become the First Gentleman. I loved reading about him more than any other character and it got depressing after his unexpected death.
Although I have enjoyed these 2 books, I don't think I'll read the next one.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Prodigal Daughter focuses on the life of Florentyna Rosnovski Kane, the daughter of a Polish immigrant who lived the American dream. The first half of this book is a retelling of events from Kane and Abel. The reader gains a few new insights seeing things through Florentyna's eyes, but these were rare because so many passages were completely lifted from the original book and put into this sequel.

One element that seemed to be missing in this book compared to Kane and Abel was the tension and plot twists that came about from the bitter feud between the Kane and Rosnovski patriarchs. These two strong wills really made the first book shine, whereas the summary retelling in this book was a bit disappointing.

The latter half of the book deals with Florentyna's life in politics. I found this to be rather dry at times, and somewhat predictable as to where Florentyna would eventually end up. If I had read The Prodigal Daughter as a stand-alone book, my review would likely have been higher, but it seemed cheap and lazy to reuse so much material from the first book.

[W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kane and Abel was a smash hit,so Archer had a
good thing on his hands.He had to milk it for all it was worth,so he wrote this sequel.

There is a good deal of repetition from Kane and Abel. It helps fill the requisite number of pages.

Now it's Abel's daughter,born with a silver spoon in her mouth,out to make a career in politics.She aims to become the first female president of the US.

It's lengthy,it's dull and very predictable.It bored the daylights out of me.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I found this in my father's car and only popped in the first tape to have something to listen to on my 20 minutes drive to school. I was surprised to find myself engrossed in the novel about a young girl who was the daughter of a Polish immigrant who build his own American Deam in the form of the Baron hotels. Imagine my surprise in finding out that this was the sequel to another best seller, that I will be sure to pick up as soon as possible. The best part was the main character, Florentyna, and her unwavering honesty and diligence in not only her buisness life but also her politics. I found myself cursing the American political system at times for the unfairness in campaigning schemes and was heartbroken every time Florentyna was hit by a blow from the media during her efforts to make it into the political spotlight. I feel as if her character were a real person, she would be one of the only politicians I would admire. One thing I also loved was how the love story in the book did not take up a major amount of the reader's time, and rather was put in to help push the plot forward and added to the realness of the main character. Not only were the characters wonderful, but the historical facts in the book were added with subtlety and grace. I never knew much about the Polish and found myself engrossed in the telling of the Polish heritage from Florentyna's father. The connection to American politics throughout the whole book taught me more about the history of modern America than I could have ever learned in one of my college classes, all while intertwining it with the lives of the characters.

I would reccomend this book to anyone who has knowledge of the American political system and likes fast paced historical fiction with empowering women as lead characters.

The only thing about this book is if it were not for my recent class on Mass and the Federal System, I would have been completly lost in the political details of the book. Thankfully I learned what the Majority and Minority leaders, whips, and other political positions held in Congress. That would be my only warning for anyone who decided to read this book.

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a sequel to Mr. Archer's best-seller, Kane and Abel, this one has at its center Florentyna Rosnowski, the daughter of a Polish immigrant, who is on her way of becoming the first female president of the US.
Many say that there are quite a lot of resemblances between the main character and at least three ladies which have put their mark on our history, from Indira Gandhi to Golda Meir and Margaret Thatcher, as Florentyna is an iron fist in a velvet glove. But that's only the beginning, the rest is done by Archer's storyteller talents, which are quite amazing...

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Kane & Abel series by author Jeffery Archer and I was a little disappointed following the excellent first book. This sequel fails to deliver on the promise and in my opinion was just an ok read.

Prodigal Daughter tells of Abel’s daughter Florentyna Rosnovski who aims for the top just like her father but without his wealth. Her father Abel was a polish immigrant who loved America, but her ambition reaches even higher than his his, she wants to be the first female president.

I had big hopes for this book given how much I enjoy the authors work as well as enjoying the previous novel. So much hope it was only going to end up one way. It was still a decent read but lacked that little bit of magic that I am accustomed to when read Archer books.

[Mizuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8 stars. The first book is interesting enough, the second book is okay-ish but the plot and the characters are a bit bland. It's by no mean a bad book, but I'm not getting into it plus it feels like none of the characters has suffered any real heartbreak, hardship or drawback. That's it.

Review for book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I loved this book in the beginning. Then 3/4ths of the way through someone dies and it made it extremely depressing. Then it just got boring. I'm glad about the ending and how she became President of the US. But the end was lacking and was rushed. Honestly, the book would've been a 5 star for me if that death hadn't happened and if it was just a bit shorter and not rushed.

I love his writing and the book was great but the ending wasn't for me excpet for the fact that she became President (i loved that part).

[Dana Ilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prodigal Daughter is undoubtedly very well written. But the reader must note that the story is but a continuation of his very popular Kane and Abel. So about half of the book dwells with the early life of Florentyna daughter of Abel and Richard Kane's son and also kind of retells the story of Kane and Abel. So overall it helps to fill in the gaps of the firs volume and the second half starts off from where Kane and Abel ended.

I didnt like the ending though. It was rather sudden.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story ... maintained over many years with characters that never lost interest ... Archer is one of the best

[Hesamul Haque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Kane and Abel and loved this one as well. After reading some of Jeffrey Archer's book I am his fan already. He is one of the greatest story teller!
I am a fan of Kane and Abel, it has taught me a lot about life and thank you Jeffrey Archer for this book, I really felt I was again in the Kane and Abel world :)

[Noella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoewel dit boek het tweede in een reeks is, is het zeer goed zelfstandig te lezen. Het gaat over Florentyna Kane, dochter van hotelmagnaat Abel Rosnovski, die al jaren de gezworen vijand is van bankier William Kane. Het eerste deel beschrijft de jeugd, opvoeding en studies van Florentyna, en was zeer aangenaam en boeiend om te lezen. Florentyna en Richard Kane, de zoon van William worden verliefd en besluiten te trouwen, alhoewel ze daardoor door hun beide vaders verstoten worden. Ze doen het beiden zeer goed in de zakenwereld, Richard als bankier en Florentyna zet een keten modewinkels op.
Al sinds haar jeugd interesseerde Florentyna zich voor de politiek, en nu ze volwassen is, besluit ze haar kans te wagen. Ze wordt verkozen tot congreslid voor de democratiche partij, en later zelfs tot senator. Haar grote droom is president te worden.
Het tweede deel van het boek gaat dus vooral over Florentyna's politieke carrière, en hoewel ik erg veel van de boeken van Jeffrey Archer hou, ligt dit toch buiten mijn belangstellingssfeer. Daarom 3 sterren, gewoon uit persoonlijke overwegingen, en zeker niet omdat het boek niet goed geschreven zou zijn. Een kleine anecdote wil ik toch vertellen: het boek is in 1983 geschreven, (of in elk geval dateert mijn uitgave van dat jaar) en Archer waagt zich dus aan toekomstvoorspellingen, want het verhaal gaat tot 1995. En hij vertelt dat in 1994 in Engeland koning Charles III gekroond wordt, omdat koningin Elisabeth afgetreden is...

[Vinti · Rating 5 out of 5]

by: Jeffrey Archer

About:

(a) A girl who grows up to be a model woman for many

(b) Politics and business

Features:

Language: Shrewd spoken English

Interesting note: It is said that Archer got the inspiration for (the lead protagonist) Florentyna’s political life and rise from the elections of Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi.

Splendid Start:

It had not been an easy birth but then for Abel and Zaphia nothing had been easy….

‘Congratulations, Mr. Rosnovski’, said the doctor.

‘Thank you,’ said Abel eagerly.

‘You have a beautiful girl,’ the doctor said as he reached him.

‘Thank You,’ repeated Abel, quietly trying not to show his disappointment……

Unlike the others , her little fingers were curled into a tight fist. Abel had read somewhere that a child was not expected to do that for at-least three weeks. He smiled , proudly.

for more, visit http://vintidhawanreads.wordpress.com...

[Piyush · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok....not that the name suggested anything different, but I was hoping against odds for an inspiring story...specially now that I had just graduated from Kane & Abel but oh dear..dear..dear....this book not only failed to provide that.....but left me highly disappointed...After all what is so awe-inspiring about the story of a girl born with a silver spoon, growing up in an immensely rich and influential family, and getting married into another equally influential family...who then predictably runs for the Presidential elections ??

Correct me if I am wrong, but after Not a penny more not a penny less and Kane & Abel I think the quality has definitely taken a beating Mr. Archer .

Just an honest opinion. Looking forward to reading better stuff from you

[Ardent Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since the first book was so amazing I really had high hopes for this book. But unfortunately the second book was not that great as the last one.

The same story was repeated but in another point of view. And the reason where Richard Kane was not alive to become the first gentleman made me soo disappointed.

There were so many paragraphs in the book where I just skimmed through since they were utterly boring.

I hope the last (next) book will be great as the previous book.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been years since I've read this book, but I liked it so much that I held on to the hardback edition so the I might be able to read it again. Consider me inspired.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. Though I must add that it gets exasperating at times when you take notice of how Florentyna was often defeated in underhanded ways.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must have read this book more than 5 times! I was hooked from the beginning til the end. The plot is well-written, though there were some parts that I don't like, but overall, I love this book.

Florentyna was a strong woman. She run her father's hotel empire. She was a politician. She had everything that she could ask for yet she also had trials in her life that she must overcome. Though she was raised with golden spoon in her mouth, she wasn't a spoiled brat. When she was dealt with the biggest blow in her pampered life, she had a hard time dealing with it but just like the phoenix, she rose from the ashes.

From her triumphs as a student to the White House, this is a very compelling story of a woman who, despite having it all, still suffered from the trials that came her way and how she rose from it all.

A very good book!

[Nea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did publishers pressure the author to write a book despite writer's block? That's the only thing that would explain this book to me.

The Prodigal Daughter is a reteliing of Kane and Abel with a mere change of protagonist. The amount of repetition made this an awful sequel to the original. What a waste!

[pfaffingers_bibliophilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worum geht´s?
Band 2 der Kain und Abel Trilogie widmet sich Florentyna, Abels Tochter und ihrer Familie. Nach der Hochzeit mit William Kane und dem Tod ihrer beiden Väter, ist es nun an William und Florentyna die Geschäfte dieser zu führen und gleichzeitig ihren eigenen Weg zu finden.

Meine Meinung:
Einerseits war es interessant die Geschichte nochmal aus Florentynas Sicht zu erfahren, andererseits waren 250 Seiten meines Erachtens zu viel. Denn auf diesen 250 Seiten hat Archer Band 1 nochmal erzählt und das wurde mir stellenweise etwas langweilig, weil ich die Geschichte von Kain und Abel doch noch sehr gut in Erinnerung hatte. Als William Kane und Abel Rosnovski dann ein zweites Mal gestorben waren, habe ich innerlich aufgeatmet, denn nun begann der neue Teil der Geschichte. Aber auch den empfand ich etwas schleppend und den Weg Florentynas zur ersten Präsidentin der Vereinigten Staaten hätte ich mir bei Weitem etwas aufregender vorgestellt. Auch die private Entwicklung von William und Florentyna und ihren Kindern hätte ich mir etwas ausführlicher gewünscht.
Nichtsdestotrotz ist der Schreibstil und die Erzählweise des Autors gewohnt gut und haben mir wieder sehr gefallen.
Da ich schon mitten im Lesen von Band 3 bin, kann ich durchaus empfehlen, Band 2 wegzulassen und sofort den letzten Teil zu lesen. Der ist unglaublich spannend und hat das Vorwissen aus Band 2 nicht nötig. Da ich aber weiß, dass viele von Euch denselben inneren Monk haben, wie ich, kann ich aber auch sagen, dass das Lesen von Band 2 auch einige interessante neue Fakten hervorbringt.

Fazit: Schwacher Mittelband der Trilogie.

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty uneven effort from Jeffrey Archer with this sequel to Kane and Abel. Some of the blandest chapters reside in the spine of The Prodigal Daughter. It needn't have been so. Maybe it was the eighties, and like John Le Carre and Stephen King, the author simply had to lay a thick book. Two striking events in the book makes it rise above the forgettable dreck of its generation.

First, is that salutation between Kane and Abel. It was written into the prequel, but the details weren't sketched yet. The circumstances revealed for this key event were very much inspired. Secondly, the deception of who Jessie is, is nothing short of a masterstroke. It could work so well on film. These two moments carried my interest forward. Without them, I might have abandoned this book. I think it deserves nothing more or less than three stars.

I knew before that Florentyna would be president, yet the way things turned out brought ample surprise. And poor Richard. Poor him, so forgotten that I nearly forgot myself to mention him. I who regret his early exit. The unbelievable way he is forgotten by the heroine, plus the easy way the latter shrugged into calling Edward "darling" makes me wish the book had ended with Richard's recovery. I'm still on the fence in my mind about how often to read unread Jeffrey Archer books. His latest output was up to par. We'll see.

[Anusha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed. I cried. I got apoplectic. This book had EVERYTHING. I even screamed girl power towards the end!! I never thought I would say this for ANY book.. but this book DESERVED six stars....

[Geraldina Nunes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Não gostei nada da premissa deste livro.
Para falar deste livro, temos de regressar ao primeiro livro da saga Caim e Abel que conta a história de vida de Abel e William e dos respetivos filhos Florentyna e Richard.

Metade do livro d' A Filha Pródiga conta- nos a história de Florentyna e Richard que já conhecíamos do livro anterior: mais pormenorizada é certo, mas que não traz nada de novo. E como sabemos como vai acabar, o suspense é nulo e a história aborrecida.
Depois centra-se muito em política e torna-se enfadonho.

Saltei inúmeras páginas e só não desisti porque odeio desistir. Esta é provavelmente a minha pior leitura do ano. O livro Caim e Abel é bom agora este é uma desilusão

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character was insufferable and the writing terrible.

[Nguyet Minh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Là phần II của cuốn tiểu thuyết cực kỳ ấn tượng “Hai số phận”, “Đứa con gái hoang đàng” giống một kịch bản phim truyền hình nhiều tập hơn là một tiểu thuyết độc lập. Mặc dù vẫn gay cấn và hấp dẫn, thậm chí còn nhiều tình tiết sự kiện hơn, nhưng ta vẫn khó có lại cảm xúc và sự hào hứng như khi đọc phần I. Phần II sẽ tháo gỡ những hiểu lầm giữa Abel và Kane dẫu có muộn màng và là cuộc đời của những thế hệ tiếp nối. Ngoài việc tò mò muốn biết số phận của những thành viên ấy đi về đâu, ta thực sự vẫn muốn trải nghiệm thêm nữa với giọng văn của Jeffrey Archer.

Florentyna là cô con gái duy nhất của Abel Rosnovski và Zaphia. Có vẻ như cô có một cuộc đời còn nhiều thành tựu hơn cả người cha của mình. Thừa hưởng những cá tính của cha cùng với sự giáo dục khắt khe đúng hướng từ cô bảo mẫu người Anh Tredgold, Florentyna đã đôi khi tự mãn và ngạo mạn với vài thành quả đạt được thời đi học. Nhưng những vấp ngã cộng với mối tình đầu đổ vỡ đã giúp cô chín chắn trưởng thành hơn. Florentyna đã từng rất hài hước, luôn lý sự nhưng lại rất tình cảm lúc bé, còn khi lớn lên, cô sành điệu, biết giữ gìn nhân phẩm, chăm chỉ, quyết đoán và vô cùng giỏi giang. Cô Tredgold đã luôn nhắc nhở Florentyna rằng “hãy đứng thẳng nhé bé con, nhớ rằng con không phải là một dấu hỏi.” Được cha mẹ và bảo mẫu không ngừng giáo dục về nguồn gốc của gia đình, Florentyna chưa bao giờ mặc cảm vì mình là người Ba Lan nhập cư, ngược lại, cô đã chứng minh cho người Mỹ nói riêng và cả nước Mỹ nói chung rằng một người nhập cư đã có thể gánh vác trọng trách như thế nào.

Tình cờ gặp gỡ, yêu và kết hôn với Richard, một nhân tố đầy bất ngờ trong tiểu thuyết, Florentyna đã tận hưởng một tình yêu nhẹ nhàng, giản dị và một cuộc hôn nhân êm đềm, đủ đầy viên mãn. Hai người trẻ ấy đại diện cho hai gia đình, hai hướng đi nhưng đều đã gặt hái những thành tựu không hề nhỏ. Và họ đã không ngừng nỗ lực, tự lập, yêu thương chân thành và vun đắp cho nhau. Chính vì vậy, cuộc sống tình cảm vững chãi, kinh tế ổn định đã giúp họ có thể tiếp tục củng cố thành tựu mà những người cha của mình đã xây dựng. Sự cảm tính trong dòng máu Ba Lan đã hoà vào lối sống nhanh nhạy, thực tế của Mỹ. Họ là chỗ dựa, là chiếc mỏ neo níu giữ nhau qua nhiều biến cố và mất mát. Khi vai trò của thế hệ trước chấm dứt, họ cũng đã tiến xa trong xã hội không chỉ trong thương trường mà còn trong cả chính trường. Abel - vị nam tước cuối cùng của dòng họ Rosnovski đã để lại một di sản giá trị, đó chính là Florentyna. Còn Kane đã để lại Richard, một người chồng không thể hoàn hảo hơn cho Florentyna.

Có vẻ như cô bảo mẫu độc thân toàn vẹn Tredgold và anh bạn từ thuở ấu thơ Edward chính là 2 đầu sợi dây giữ cho cuộc đời của Florentyna được cân bằng. Hai đầu dây ấy chính là giai đoạn đầu đời và giai đoạn sắp khép lại một đời. Những điều từng thân thuộc nhất với cô cũng lần lượt ra đi, chỉ còn 2 đứa con với Richard đã trưởng thành và Edward đứng đợi cô cuối chặng đường, luôn yêu và ủng hộ cô vô điều kiện, như Richard đã từng. Ít ra, đã có một ai đó thay m���t cho tất cả những người yêu thương cô còn ở lại bên cạnh cô, chứng kiến thành tựu quan trọng nhất của cuộc đời cô, đó là chỗ đứng cao nhất trong chính trường bất chấp nguồn gốc nhập cư hoặc là một phụ nữ.

“Chúng ta chẳng có gì phải sợ ngoại trừ chính nỗi sợ”. Phần II này đã khẳng định thêm rằng sự thành công bền vững của một gia tộc không chỉ dựa vào nền tảng sẵn có mà còn ở sự nỗ lực bền bỉ của người kế thừa cùng với tình yêu sâu sắc và sự ủng hộ của những người xung quanh. Cuốn sách sẽ không còn bất ngờ nhiều như phần I nhưng vẫn đủ lôi cuốn với những tình tiết gay cấn. Sự giành giật từng chút một từ cổ phần trong kinh doanh lẫn số phiếu bầu trong chính trị đã lột tả một nước Mỹ năng động, bận rộn, đầy cạnh tranh như thế nào! Nhưng ở đấy vẫn đượm tính nhân văn với quỹ tưởng nhớ những người cha, hỗ trợ người nhập cư, giúp đỡ cựu chiến binh và trẻ em có tài năng…

Nếu có một ai đó thành công trong việc miêu tả xã hội Mỹ giai đoạn đầu phát triển đến lúc rực rỡ nhất thì chính là Jeffrey Archer. Có nhiều vấn đề, nhiều sự thật, nhiều biến cố và nhiều thành tựu, ông chỉ cần xây dựng nhân vật và cầm bút lên để vẽ lại bằng tiểu thuyết. Sách hay và đậm chất Mỹ, dày hơn phần I và vẫn khiến ta tò mò cho phần tiếp theo.

[T O À N P H A N · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thà tui đọc sci-fi, fantasy hay huyền huyễn cũng được, ít nhất mấy cái truyện giả tưởng, tưởng tượng đó nó cũng có một thứ logic nhất định, chứ tui đọc truyện lấy cảm hứng từ những nhân vật có thật mà sao nó ảo lòi ra.

[Tiago Dias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depois do primeiro Kane e Abel, este livro ficou muito aquém das expetativas. Demasiada repetição e pouca inovação, uma trama que podia ter sido melhor aproveitada. Parece-me uma sequela "forçada". Mais valia ter ficado só pelo primeiro livro.

[Apoorva Ranade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a gripping story. This book made me smile and cry and hope for Florentyna Kane!

[Ly Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gần 900 trang cho một cuốn sách dày. Đọc trong 2 ngày.

Xuất sắc thật sự!

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this one last night but I honestly needed a day (and a few drinks) to ponder this recap.

I think it is best for me to research just WHY this novel was even written. Perhaps as a favor to a friend or publisher? There was just no room for story here. So the author instead seemed to toss the plot out the window and use this book to display his knowledge of political inner workings and his ability to be employed as a speech writer.

Had this been a standalone I likely wouldn't have been so disappointed. I wouldn't have finished the novel at all! But after such a page turner its predecessor, the bar was set too high to continue.

Florentyna is nothing special yet things seem to constantly just work out in her favor. She's smart yes but this isn't a rags to riches story. Making it unrelateable. Making it more fiction than fiction.

I didn't mind the recaps and crossed timelines from the first book. Since I don't read series back-to-back, this was a big refresher-help.

But what happened to the formula used in KANE & ABEL? There wasn't a single constant struggle or threat or adversary. And nothing was a surprise. It's almost as if this were written by a different author. .